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Charlie X (episode)
The Enterprise takes 17-year-old Charles Evans aboard for transport after he spent 14 years alone on a deserted planet, but he's unable to interact with his fellow humans. Summary The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) rendezvous with the [[USS Antares|USS Antares]], a small survey ship. Investigating the planet Thasus, the Antares discovers a young boy named Charles Evans who had been raised by a mysterious, ancient alien race. Evans transfers to the Enterprise, which is going to Colony 5, where Evans' only relatives live. Captain Ramart and his navigator, Tom Nellis, are eager to be on their way, even refusing Kirk's offer of Saurian brandy. But they are also effusive in their praise of Charlie. This is the first of many mysteries surrounding Charlie. Charlie attempts to learn and integrate, demonstrating the effect of his years away from all human contact. At the same time, strange incidents occur in his vicinity. Charlie is also struggling mightily with adolescence and with his first crush, on Yeoman Janice Rand. In the briefing lounge, where Uhura is singing "Oh, On the Starship Enterprise" to a rapt Rand, Rand ignores Charlie's card tricks; he secretly silences Uhura, so that he can have Rand's undivided attention. At extreme range, Captain Ramart attempts to contact the Enterprise, but before he can say more than "I've got to warn...", his ship is destroyed. Charlie advises Kirk that "it wasn't made very well" -- a strange comment, since it comes before Spock actually confirms the Antares' destruction. Kirk takes pity on Charlie and attempts to befriend him, taking him to the physical training room for some light sparring. Initially refusing to participate, Charlie falls awkwardly and prompts laughter from Sam, one of Kirk's sparring partners. Humiliated and angry, Charlie makes Sam "go away", revealing his powers. Confronted, Charlie admits to destroying the Antares by making a warped baffle plate in its energy pile "go away". He defends his action by claiming that the ship would have blown up anyway, and that the crew weren't nice to him. Kirk speculates that Charlie might be a Thasian, but McCoy's medical analysis results make this an unlikely possibility. Charlie, his powers now common knowledge, takes overt control of the Enterprise. Attempts to thwart him fail, and he wreaks havoc. He wants to go to Colony 5; Kirk knows that the mayhem he'd create in that unstructured setting would be far worse than what he's done so far. Determined to stop Charlie before he can reach Colony 5, Kirk attempts to overload his abilities, ordering more and more ship's systems activated. In the midst of this struggle, a ship from Thasus appears. The Thasians granted Charlie immense powers so he could live -- powers that they cannot, or will not, remove. Certain it would be impossible for Charlie to live a normal life with his own people, the Thasians remove him to their vessel and depart. Log Entries *''Captain's log, stardate 1533.6.Now maneuvering to come alongside cargo vessel ''Antares''. Its captain and first officer are beaming over to us with an unusual passenger.'' *''Captain's log, stardate 1533.7. We have taken aboard an unusual passenger for transport to Colony Alpha V. Charles Evans, the sole survivor of a transport crash 14 years ago. The child, alone from age 3, has not only survived, but has grown to intelligent, healthy adolescence.'' *''Captain's log, stardate 1535.8. UESPA headquarters notified of the mysterious loss of science probe vessel Antares.'' Background Information * James Doohan (Scotty) and George Takei (Sulu) do not appear in this episode although two words of Takei's dialogue from "The Man Trap" are dubbed in when Kirk calls the bridge from the gymnasium. * "Charlie X" was adapted for a novelization by James Blish. It was published in the first Bantam Books Star Trek novelization collection in 1967 under the original script name, "Charlie's Law." Although it may not canonically represent the creative staff's intentions, the novelization identifies the unnamed crewman named Sam (that Charlie "disposes" of) as Sam Ellis, an officer on McCoy's medical staff. The episode made it clear that he, along with all of the officers who were disfigured by Charlie, were "restored" along with Rand when the Thasians intervened. The USS Antares however, could not be saved. * In the scene in Rand's quarters, when Charlie flings Kirk and Spock against the wall, the wall has a hole punched in it! On an earlier take, Leonard Nimoy had struck the wall too forcefully. This alternate take can be seen at the end of the episode's preview. * This is the first time we see the brig in the series. During season two, it will be given a permanent location in the hallway leading to the engineering set (Which is near this set across the hallway). This same spot is used as the guest quarters in "The Conscience of the King", and a one time seen part of Engineering in "The Alternative Factor" Finally it becomes the Medical lab in "Operation -- Annihilate!." * Charlie wears one of the old turtleneck shirts from "Where No Man Has Gone Before." * Spock's scanners in this episode make the same sound the Metron transmission does in "Arena." * Probably to his relief, William Shatner only had to wear tights in one more episode, "Errand of Mercy." Shatner recently poked fun at his costume in this episode when he showed a clip as part of the History Channel show, "How William Shatner Changed the World." * After Charlie transforms Tina Lawton into an iguana, the noise the reptile makes is identical to the sounds made by Sylivia and Korobs' true forms at the end of "Catspaw." * The grates in the floors of the corridors disappeared in later episodes. In one scene, Charlie takes great delight in watching a technician lower some tubing into one of these floor grates. * Publicity stills of Grace Lee Whitney were used on the playing cards Charlie modifies. * During the early first-season episodes, great care was taken with the placement of colored lighting to add warmth to the gray walls of the Enterprise set. As pressure to complete episodes grew, this touch gradually faded from the series. * Like Trelane, Apollo and the Gorgan, Charlie makes his exit with fading repetition of his final words. * The music accompanying Charlie's disappearance at the end of this episode would be re-used effectively in "Space Seed," as the landing party beams onto the Botany Bay; in "The Tholian Web" as Chekov witnesses the dead engineering crew on the Defiant; and in "The Ultimate Computer" during Daystrom's final conversation with his M-5 computer. * Still not firmly set in his characterization in this early episode, Spock both shows irritation and smiles as Uhura makes fun of him. * When Kirk and Charlie have their final confrontation, the camera moves to a rare floor-level view of the bridge. This close-up shows that the set is carpeted. This was probably done as a noise-absorber, given the propensity of the set to pick up noises like plumbing and squeaking floors. * VHS edition available through Amazon under ISBN 6300213129. Script vs. Screen * In the Final Draft, dated 5 July 1966, the card trick Charlie plays with Janice, which reveals her photograph on the cards, is not specified. The script simply states that Charlie performs a variety of card tricks which amaze Janice and the onlookers. * The script calls for the ''Antares'' to be seen. Links and References Main Cast * William Shatner as Kirk * Leonard Nimoy as Spock * DeForest Kelley as McCoy * Nichelle Nichols as Uhura * Grace Lee Whitney as Rand Guest Stars * Robert Walker, Jr. as Charles Evans * Abraham Sofaer as Thasian * Patricia McNulty as Tina Lawton * Charles J. Stewart as Captain Ramart * Dallas Mitchell as Tom Nellis * Don Eitner as the navigator * John Lindesmith as the helmsman * John Bellah as crewman * Garland Thompson as Wilson * Laura Wood as old lady crewwoman * Eddie Paskey as Leslie (uncredited) * Bobby Herron as Sam (uncredited) * Gene Roddenberry as galley chef (voice, uncredited) * Frank da Vinci as Vinci (uncredited) * Ron Veto as Harrison (uncredited) * William Blackburn as Hadley (uncredited) * Unknown actor as Bobby * Loren Janes as Kirk’s stunt double References Alpha V colony; ''Antares'', USS; baffle plate; energy pile; gymnasium; non-corporeal species; record tapes; Saurian brandy; Thanksgiving; Thasian; Thasus; three-dimensional chess; United Earth Space Probe Agency; Vulcan lute Category:TOS episodes de:Der Fall Charlie es:Charlie X fr:Charlie X nl:Charlie X sv:Charlie X